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18 August 2011

Kumbalanga Pachadi / Winter Melon Pachadi- Onam Sadhya Vibhavangal 5

Pachadi is a side dish made from different vegetables like Cucumber, Ash Gourd, Bitter Gourd, Pineapple, Ginger (Ingi Pachadi) or even Lady's finger. This is again a yoghurt based gravy but the method of preparation is quite different. The vegetable is cooked and then added to the coconut, mustard, Chilly and ginger paste. Adding the ground mustard is the main difference between pachadi and kichadi. In kichadi mustard is used only for seasoning.

For Sadhyas (Grand feast) Pachadi is prepared the day before. It has this sour taste which comes from the yoghurt. The combination of coconut and mustard along with chilly and ginger gives a nice aroma and taste to the pachadi. It is very interesting to know that the cooking part ends when the vegetable is cooked along with salt and chilly. There is no cooking or even heating after that.

INGREDIENTS

Kumbalanga/Winter Melon/Ash Gourd - 1/2 Kg( I used half of 1 Melon)

Grated coconut - 1/2 of a medium coconut

Yoghurt - 500 ml

Chilly - 2 + 3

Water - 1/4 cup

Ginger - 3 inch piece chopped into small pieces

Mustard - 2 tsp + 1 tsp for seasoning

Salt - As required

Curry Leaves - 2 sprigs

Coconut oil - 1 tbsp

Red Chilly (Vattal Mulaku) - 2

METHOD

Peel and chop melon into 1 1/2 inch thin pieces.

Slit 2 chillies.

Cook melon along with chilly, salt and 1/4 cup water.

Drain the water and keep the Ash Gourd/Melon to cool.

Grind the coconut to fine paste.

Add mustard seeds and grind for 2 seconds.

Open lid , add chopped chilly and ginger.

Grind for another 3 seconds. It need not become very fine paste.

Remove the chilly from the Ash Gourd (which was kept to cool).

Transfer the Ash Gourd/ Melon to a bowl. Add the ground paste.

In a mixer pulse the yoghurt for a second. It should not become watery.

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